Shibotsu Shokora
by Tsurishi Arashi
Summary: When Ichigo is killed on Valentines day so the Prince Detective comes to the school in order to solve the mystery and meets up the Sweet Princes.
1. Shibotsu Shokora

_Disclaimer – I don't own Persona or Yumeiro Patissiere. I'm not quite sure how I came up with this one. I was trying to come up with a Valentine's Day fanfic and didn't expect to come up with a Mystery Story. I also didn't plan on coming up with another chaptered fanfic and was trying for a one-shot... it just didn't work._

**Shibotsu Shokora  
>~ <em>Shibotsu Shokora<em>** ~

The sunlight shown through the large glass windows of the cooking classroom. Amanao Ichigo had remained up all the night making chocolates for her friends and she had finally finished her surprise for each and every single one. She finished up by wrapping the chocolates to give to everyone and left them at their spots in the classroom kitchen. She then took off her apron and with bags under her eyes she went to head to bed for a few minutes.

As she was walking along she suddenly came across a conversation between two people. One of the voices she recognized as her boyfriend Makoto. "I'm honestly hoping that idiot Amano doesn't come out and find us."

"Isn't she your girlfriend?" A female voice suddenly laughed causing Ichigo to suddenly flinch.

"She's my girlfriend. Sometimes I wonder why I bother with her stupidity. I think it has to do with the fact she is a genius at what she does but with everything else she is dense. She hasn't noticed anything the past month and it annoys me to hell." Makoto spoke up rather suddenly.

Ichigo felt tears roll down her cheeks. She stormed around the corner only to find that the female person was in fact gone. "Makoto!"

The boy turned around and saw her teary eyed but seemed nonplussed about the whole situation. "You shouldn't be listening on other people's conversations Amano."

"You were kissing another girl!" Ichigo suddenly slapped his face.

"Yes I was. So what of it?" The boy glared at he in frustration. "I've been trying to tell you something this past month and you've been ignoring me."

"Maybe I just didn't want to hear that you were breaking up with me!" Ichigo noted the fact that he had been hiding something from her the past month. "Maybe I didn't want to hear that you were cheating on me either!"

"You really are dense! Avoiding stuff is not the answer. If you noticed I was acting strangely why didn't you come and speak with me?" The boy snapped his words out before getting slapped again.

Ichigo hurried away and back to her dorm room. She threw a few books across the room before flopping down on her bed and sobbing into her pillow. She didn't notice whenever the door opened and closed. Finally though her roomate Rumi came in. "Ichigo... there is a package left on the desk."

Ichigo glanced up and looked at the wrapped up chocolate that included a note. She walked over and sat down. She picked up the note and read it.

"_Ichigo... I'm sorry for this morning. I liked the design of the chocolate you gave me but I'm waiting to eat it until I can speak with you. Kashino._"

"Baka!" Ichigo crumpled the note and threw it into the trash. She then scribbled down a note of her own. "_Do you think I want to ever forgive you Kashino? What you did... cheating on me was despicable. You hurt me so much I want to die!_"

Letting out a deep sigh she leaned back in the chair. Rumi raised an eyebrow. "I'm not eating that chocolate. Kashino made it himself for starters and it would be an insult to him if the chocolate he made for someone went uneaten. Also... eating other people's valentine candies unless they are from minor people is just rude."

At first Ichigo didn't touch the chocolate but finally she let out a deep sigh. She put a piece into her mouth and ate it. She swallowed and frowned. "Rumi... the chocolate tastes funny. I think Kashino is being mean to me. His is usually... different. It is as if he wants to spite me."

"Nonsense. I don't see why Kashino would ever make funny tasting chocolate in the first place. That is an insult to him." Rumi turned her head only to suddenly pale when she saw Ichigo suddenly clutching her throat. "Ichigo?"

Her friend collapsed to the ground and she rushed over. The female's face was turning blue and her tongue was sticking out of her mouth. The roommate got up and hurried to the hall in order to get help. Eventually the ambulance came to pick her up but Amano Ichigo was dead. Her body was being taken away for an autopsy.

Rumi found herself sitting in the chairman's office. She heard an officer speak up. "It was poison."

The girl looked up in surprise. "Kashino Makoto wouldn't poison her! He loves her very much!"

"He's the one who gave her the chocolate though?" The police officer asked. "He's the son of that famous hospital chain isn't he?"

"Well... I don't know. It was just sitting there on the desk when I got into the classroom." Rumi held her hands tightly just as two of the three Sweet Princes came hurtling through the door.

"What is going on? We heard that Amano was carted off to the hospital." Andou frowned at the officer.

The chairman spoke up. "Where is Kashino?"

Hanabusa let out a deep sigh. "When we heard that Ichigo was being taken to the hospital we decided to come and see what is going and not worry him. He's still working on Ichigo's chocolates."

"I thought..." Rumi paused. "I thought that he had finished! I was talking to him this morning about his final plans. He said something about this being very special occasion and he had to get it just right. I thought that was the chocolate that was on Ichigo's desk."

"He could be pretending he didn't get it done." The officer scolded.

"You _don't _know Kashino and his chocolates." Hanabusa sighed. "It is his specialty and if it is for Ichigo he's going to be even more particular about it."

"Then the chocolates weren't from Kashino. Ichigo was quite sure that something was off about the flavor." Rumi suddenly looked up in horror. "Do you think that someone tried to kill her?"

"You mean do we think someone killed her." The officer let out a deep sigh.

"Wait..." Both of the males in the room glanced at each other. Andou decided he would do the speaking. "You mean to tell us that Ichigo is _dead_? Whose going to tell him? I mean..."

"We could possibly do it. But..." Hanabusa glared at the officer. "You have to be mistaken!"

"He isn't. Ichigo was gone by the time the ambulance got there." Rumi glanced at the ground.

"Anything you can tell us?" The officer flipped his page in his notebook.

"Ichigo was mad about something Kashino said."

Another officer came into the room. "Amano Ichigo wrote this before she died. It could have been a suicide made to look like murder."

"You seriously have both Amano and Kashino figured out wrong. First you accuse him of murder and now you accuse her of this!" The green haired youth glared at the officers.

"I am going to have to ask you officers to leave." The chairman stood up. "Also listen to me very carefully. You aren't to make accusations against my students without proof. The Kashino family will be quick to file a lawsuit and despite the fact the Amano family can't afford a lawyer the school can. Just do your job."


	2. Shi Ouji

**Shibotsu Shokora  
><strong>_**~ Shi Ouji ~**_

Soft footsteps fell on the brick pathway of St. Marie Academy. The person dressed in a male school uniform glanced up at the strange statue while placing a hand over her eyes. While she still wasn't speaking well with her grandfather, when he passed on the message that her mother's school was needing some help with a mystery she found herself unable to resist.

"Why would they have a fairy statue at a school of all places?" Naoto sighed.

"Shirogane-san? I'm Henri Lucas, the grandson of Marie Lucas who founded the academy." A voice came from a young man who nodded his head at her. "Are you a bit curious about the school?"

"Well... yes. I honestly choose to follow in the footsteps on my father's side of the family so I actually know more about my father and what he did then my mother. The school is rather... pretty." The small female took a deep breath. "_I am not really comfortable with this kind of place. I wish I was back with the gang in Inaba._"

"This is a school for patisserie chefs. You at least know that correct?" The man smiled at her.

"I got the material and I studied up on the techniques. I was lucky enough to have a friend who knows how to cook well and explained a lot of the material to me." Naoto let out a deep sigh at the point. "_It took awhile with the other girls trying to help._"

"We had to due some rearranging this year due to the death of a particular student. Actually, one of our students who was allowed to advance a year decided to take the rest of the year off to due self-study and is coming back at this grade level." The man stated. "But I really need to tell you about the school. It will help you understand the situation better. Why don't we go up to Mari's room. She kindly came back along with me to teach this year. We can explain the situation without students overhearing, though most are already in their dorms."

The female detective found herself sitting in a room with a pretty lady that rivaled even Rise. She took a deep drink of the tea the woman had prepared and wondered how she would coma pare to the other students who had far more experience then her. The female simply smiled and set the her cup down. "I guess I'll explain how the classes work."

"We take French, math and science along with the patisserie classes because they will help a professional once they get going. Each class is broken up into classes and each class is being broken up into six groups. The middle school only has one class per grade level but the high school has three grades. We'll be having you take a test to see how your skill measures out and so we can figure out which group you'll be in."

"Completely understandable." Nanato nodded her head.

"You'll also be dorming with Kashino Makoto." Mari stated as she smiled at the female detective.

Henry though balked suddenly. "That would be the male dorms..."

"I know the incident occurred in the female dorms but the truth is we can't have a male staying in the female dorms."

"We can't have a female staying in the male dorms." Henry said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Wait... you mean to tell me Shirogane Naoto is a girl." Mari suddenly found herself paling. "But... a male uniform was requested."

"The would be my fault. I've never dressed in female clothing in my life except perhaps when my mother was still alive." Naoto let out a deep sigh. "I actually wore a male uniform at my last school despite being a girl."

"I see..." The pretty female let out a deep sigh. "Henry... you know we can't change the arrangements at the last minute. The students are also expecting a male student."

"We'll think of a solution this situation after we explain the case to her."

"We have a student... had a student... who was very gifted. She could differentiate between different tastes to the point she could tell where things came from. She was the top student for her grade and was in stiff competition with Kashino Makoto until he went into the grade above her. They also were dating each other and they worked verywell with each other but... there were times that they didn't get along."

"Apparently that was one of those day and Kashino-san says that he had been planning her Valentine's Day gift with her best friend for a month but Asano Ichigo thought he was cheating on her. He didn't deny her accusations and simply let her accuse him before storming off to make the chocolate he was going to give her."

"Don't girls normally give the guys chocolate on Valentine's Day?" Naoto blinked a couple of times.

"Some of the more talented males will give chocolates to their girlfriends those days." Henry spoke up. "This is a patissiere school."

"Someone dropped a chocolate box off in her dorm room and left it there. It was poisoned. She thought it was from her boyfriend. However, when she ate it... well, you get the picture."

"For awhile the police tried placing the blame on Kashino and her roommate because they were having an affair behind her back or they tried blaming Amano and said she tried killing herself. The school chairman stepped in constantly and finally the case became cold."

"If the chocolates were in the girls dorm that mean one of two things. Who ever killed Asano Ichigo was a female or it was a male who got a female involved and the said female doesn't want to speak up for fear of incriminating herself." Naoto placed a hand on her chin.

"Then wouldn't it be best if Shirogane stayed in the female dorm as she would likely find out more." Mari asked rather suddenly.

"You are going under the assumption that girls will easily gossip with other girls but something we have to remember is that they aren't likely to open up to other females." The female detective folded her arms. "I'm new so I doubt I'll easily be getting anyone's trust male or female."

"Let's worry about the testing." Henry stated. "However, if you do very well we might place you in with the Sweet Princes who have the top group for the year."

"We can't guarantee that. Remember when Amano came in here and she knew nothing about cooking. The girls were livid about the fact she got placed in with the best group."

"I thought you said she was gifted?" Shirogane blinked a couple of times.

"With her taste. She had no formal training before she got here. She learned quickly though." Henry spoke up.

"Then the suspect pool would include the entire female population."

"And the male if you go into the fact that she was very pretty." Mari smiled. "She had a few admires, the top contenders being the Sweet Princes."

"Why are they called the Sweet Princes?"

"Perhaps we should let the other students tell you that one."


	3. Senjo

**Shibotsu Shokora  
><strong>_**~ Senjo ~**_

Naoto carried her bags over to the boy's dorm area and glanced up at the beautiful architecture. She found herself taking a deep breath. "_Don't worry Naoto-kun, you just need to be careful about changing while your room mate is around. You've done similar things before and you aren't half bad about projecting yourself as male. In fact, you are more comfortable as a male._"

She stepped over the edge and found herself greeted by a man who told her where her room was. She carried her bags up the stairs and knocked on the door. A male voice told her to come in and she was greeted by the site of a young man working at his books for stud purposes. He said something to her surprise though.

"Normally you'll find me down in the cooking rooms practicing. Since I was getting an new roommate before the start of our Junior term I felt it was a curtsey to introduce myself. You're on that half of the room." He waved his hand over to one side and Naoto dropped her things down and began unpacking her bags. "What is your specialty?"

"Specialty?" Naoto glanced up at the ceiling. "If you are talking about what kind of patisserie element I specialize in I haven't discovered that yet myself. I guess one of the reasons I came to this school is to figure that out."

The boy turned around letting out a deep sigh before returning to whatever it was that he was doing. Glancing around, Naoto choose to see what she could see of the room when suddenly she saw a small female fairy like thing peering at her from over the boy's shoulder. The small creature suddenly spoke up. "Kashino... I think she can see me."

The blond haired boy suddenly startled and turned his head to look right at Naoto, before setting his pen down. He saw the look on Naoto's face before whispering to the spirit so the female detective couldn't hear him. "If he could see you, why isn't he reacting like he's seen something surprising or commenting on the fact he also has a Sweet Spirit."

The small female though suddenly flew over to where the female was and began to speak to the detective while straightening out her chocolate colored clothing. "Kashino says that you can't see me, but you paused right when I popped up on his shoulder. You can see me, can't you?"

Naoto finished stuffing her clothing into the drawers and let out a deep sigh. She then sat down on her bed and began to read a book pretending that she couldn't see the small fairy like creature. However, the small female fairy went and sat right in the middle of the pages blocking the text. The female detective let out a deep sigh. "Would you please tell your little friend to move off the pages of the book I am reading?"

Kashino glanced up suddenly and set his work down. "Why did you pretend like you couldn't see Chocolat?

The blue haired detective reached up and scratched her head weakly. "It felt like you didn't want me to see her. She isn't the strangest thing I've seen though."

"What are you reading?" The male got up and walked over before frowning. "A detective novel? Shouldn't you be reading something related to patisserie?" The boy scratched his head. "This may be why you haven't been able to focus and find your specialty you know. So, which group are you going to be in?"

"I took the test they gave me and apparently they said I could be placed in the first classes A group." The girl smiled at him.

"Why are you so surprised? If you got such a good grade on the test then you have to be something if you're placed into the group with me, Andou and Hanabusa. That also means that McBeal's pleas to be moved from group B to our group will go unanswered. To forwarn you, he may contend you getting into our group."

"It is that steep of a competition at this school?" Naoto shook her head.

"Either you don't have high expectations of yourself or you never went to main school or a branch school for St. Maries."

"I actually didn't go to this school, though I found out recently that my mother did." Naoto set down her book.

"That is like Amano's situation when she came here. Except..." The blond haired boy let out a deep sigh. "I suggest not telling anyone that you haven't had any formal training before entering the school. Though I have to admit the fact you ended up in our group not having studied before is pretty interesting. Did you go to a different school for patisserie?"

"No." The female set the book down. "Sempai was a really good instructor and I read as many books as I could before I came here." She remained silent. "_I can't tell him I came here to investigate Amano Ichigo's death._"

"Then the reason you are interested in becoming a patisserie is because you want to find out more about your mother?"

This time it was Chocolate who spoke up. "That is very similar to Amano. She came because of her grandmother and wanted to become a patisserie chef like her."

"I wouldn't say I want to become like my mother. It is more along the lines I know more about what my grandfather and father did then my mother did. So..." Naoto paused for a few minutes. "_Do I really want to find out more about my mother? I came here to solve a case for her old school, so I don't think that is it._"

"I guess this school year will be interesting." Makoto let out a deep breath and got to work. "If you get up early tomorrow I will show you around the campus before I do my morning practice."

"Arigotto..."


	4. Senjo Shi

**Shibotsu Shokora  
><strong>_**~ Senjo Shi ~**_

Chocolat found herself thinking very carefully about the new person who could see Sweet Faeries despite the fact she didn't have one of her own and obviously didn't have one asking to be her partner. Thinking about this, she suddenly decided to take a quick trip back to the Sweet's Kingdom and she met up with Caramel and Cafe.

"Andou-kun is still rather depressed about what happened to Ichigo." Caramel sighed. "I miss her too and Vanilla hasn't been the same."

"She's lost interest in doing well on the tests. If she doesn't find a new partner soon, she'll have to start all over again." Cafe shook his head suddenly. "However, Ichigo is going to be a hard person to replace."

"She's really lucky that she's been given this chance too." Chocolat let out an irritated reply. "However... I may have just the right partner for her. Apparently Kashino's new room mate can see Sweet Spirits despite not having one himself. He's also going to be part of the group again so we can work together if Vanilla accepts this person."

"Is Kashino going to be all right with Vanilla taking on a new partner?" The male Sweet Spirit suddenly shook his head.

"Kashino's actually upset that she hasn't. He says that Ichigo wouldn't want Vanilla to give up on her dreams simply because Ichigo's will never come true." The dark clothed female fairy folded her arms across her chest. "She can be so stubborn sometimes."

"Is the new person nice?" Caramel suddenly asked.

"He said he didn't say anything about me existing because he didn't think Kashino wanted to talk about it." Chocolat suddenly found herself blushing. "He's also pretty cute."

"I thought you like Kashino..." Cafe let out a small laugh. "That said, what he said was rather weird, wasn't it?"

"I didn't say he as cuter then Kashino or not." Chocolat's cheeks puffed out. "Anyways, we should go and talk to Vanilla. Isn't she helping in one of the shops?"

The four fairies flew towards the small shop and knocked on the door. Vanilla came and opened up the door. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to see how you're doing of course!" Cafe smiled at the Sprite Fairy who wasn't dressed in her usual colors but black instead.

"I didn't come to see how you are doing." Chocolate barged in through the door with her head held high. "I know full well that you are moping and forgetting and pretending certain things didn't happen."

"I can't just forget Ichigo though..."

"Nobody is asking you to." The male Sweets Spirit tried to intervene.

"Anyways..." Chocolate was in one of her moods. "Can you find a new partner already for Kashino and me?"

"I don't want Kashino and you to move on." Vanilla snapped back. "Plus, you aren't the boss of me."

Suddenly, Caramel was suddenly crying. "I want us to work together again! Why not become partners with the new person in the group."

"New person?" Vanilla found herself suddenly pausing.

"St. Marie's got a new student and he is Kashino's room mate. According to Chocolat, this person can see Sweet Spirits but doesn't have one of their own." Cafe let out a deep sigh. "Caramel is right though. It would be nice to be a team again. Ichigo wouldn't want you to be like this. She never gave up on her dreams, so why should you?"

The Sweet Sprite blushed and glanced away. "If this person is part of the group then I guess I have no choice."

The next thing she knew, she was going back to the world that Ichigo came from and flew after Chocolat to the boy's dorms. Kashino was asleep and in bed, but both Sweet Spirits couldn't help but notice that the other male was in _his_ bed reading _his_ novel. Chocolate flew over. "Amazing. You're already almost done with that book?"

"Reading is actually very easy for me." The _boy _set it down and suddenly found Vanilla in _his_ face. "And you are?"

"This is Vanilla. She used to be Asano Ichigo's Sweet Spirit. Since Ichigo has passed she is now looking for someone to take her place so she can pass the exams." Chocolate let out a deep yawn and headed over to Kashino's bed. "I am going to get to bed. After the two of you get to know each other you should get to bed too."

"Hello. My name is Shirogane Naoto." The _male _smiled at her.

"What a cool name! And you are so cute!" Vanilla suddenly stated. She then frowned. "I don't know if I want to be partners with you but I'll honestly give it a try."

"I didn't exactly agree to this you know." The corner of Naoto's mouth suddenly twitched.

"What kind of recipe book are you reading?" Vanilla looked at the title.

"It actually isn't a recipe book and it doesn't have anything to do with cooking." The _male_ let out a deep sigh. "You might say I am an otaku of the boy detective novels. That's thanks to my grandfather and father really."

"What about your mother?" The female Sweet Fairy asked.

"She went to this school. I don't really remember my parents voices anymore and I know more about my father because my grandfather was more inclined to talk about this. I didn't know that my mother had been good at making sweets until now. You could say that she is a mystery to me. I came to this school because I like mysteries."

"The big mystery around here is who killed Ichigo." Vanilla landed on the palm of Naoto's hand. "I know that she wouldn't kill herself and I know that the two people who were blamed wouldn't do that, kill her I mean."

'How do you know that?"

"Kashino loved Ichigo and Rumi-chan was Ichigo's best friend."

'Sometimes people can do strange things though."

"They worked so hard on trying to come up with an idea for Ichigo's valentine chocolate. I over heard sometimes but I was sworn to secrecy. I was with Kashino the whole time, but..."

"... your word and his fairy thing wouldn't stand up in a human court of law."

Vanilla's eyes watered up. "I really want... I really want Ichigo's killer to be brought to justice."

"I can't exactly blame you."


	5. Shinnouhi Tantei

**Shibotsu Shokora  
><strong>_**~ Shinnouhi Tantei~**_

Naoto finally clicked the light off and watched as Vanilla pulled out her own sleeping bag to use. She set it next to the half-read detective novel that sat on the nightstand and was soon snoring away. Naoto let out a deep sigh and stared up at the ceiling. "_How many people were affected by this one persons death. Makes me honestly wish to solve the mystery even more._"

A light snore suddenly came from the small fairy and Naoto let out a deep sigh before turning over on her side. She woke up early and noted that Kashino and the two fairies were sound asleep. Letting out a sigh of relief, she began to change her clothing as quick as possible so that nobody actually noticed that she was indeed a female. Thankfully Mari had offered her place to shower so she didn't have to worry about showering with any of the male students.

She had finished with the bottom part of her uniform and was pulling on the top when she suddenly heard a gasp coming from beside her bed. She quickly pulled the shirt down and reached a hand to cover Vanilla's mouth. The small fairy struggled to get loose, only to have Naoto hurry and put her socks on. She then put her shoes on and grabbed her school bag, heading to the outside of the dorms before she let the fairy go.

"_You!_ You aren't a boy!" Vanilla's words came tumbling out, while she looked at Naoto in shock. "I didn't mind having a _male_ student to help me finish my studies, but this just doesn't work! I don't want to replace Ichigo!"

Tears began to well up in the female sprite's eyes and Naoto placed a finger to her mouth. "I'm not here to replace her."

"Then why are you here?" The fairy could honestly tell at least one person Naoto's secret.

"I'm here to solve her murder." The female detective's words dropped down low.

Vanilla's cheeks were still puffed up. "How many other things have you lied about?"

"I told you the truth when I said my mother had been a student here. I also wasn't lying when I say I know more about my father's side of the family which has a long line of detectives. My grandfather passed a message onto me that my mother's school happened to have a case that they needed solving. I wanted to do something for my mother's school, though I honestly don't understand the reason why. That said, the fact you were her Spice Fairy..."

"Sweets Fairy..."

"Sweets Fairy, means you can help me without me having to draw attention to myself." Naoto smiled at the fairy.

"Why are you dressed as a boy?"

"I'm not exactly... comfortable in girls clothing." The dark haired female placed a hand behind her head. "I've had people tell me I can't be a detective like in the books I like to read because I am a girl and others look down upon me because of my age, despite the fact I have solved cases."

"Wait a second... you actually _have_ solved cases?" Vanilla suddenly became excited, but then frowned. "How are you going to be able to focus on becoming a patisserie when your main focus is detective work."

"I did study up and apparently I've gotten far enough ahead to at least be in the head group. I will say though I will be finding it steep competition. I'm going to do my best and I'm going to trust that you can help me with the matter." Naoto smiled. "I'm actually not planning on staying for longer then this case, but that should also help give you time to find your next partner, right?"

The female detective paused, feeling as if someone was watching her. Suddenly, Kashino stepped out of the bushes. "There you are."

"Kashino... how much did you and Chocolat here?" Vanilla frowned at the other female Sweets Fairy.

"We didn't hear anything." Chocolat glared back.

"We were simply bonding a bit." Naoto smiled at Kashino as if nothing happened.

The boy scratched his head. "All right. I promised you I was going to show you around the campus, correct?"

"If I got up early enough." The female held out her hand for Chocalat. "I look forward to the two of you being my guides."

"Kashino! We have another Hanabusa on our hands!" The female fairy stated, suddenly blushing a deep red. "However... he _is _much cuter and much more polite?"

"I'm a bit confused." Naoto blinked a couple of times in confusion.

Vanilla was having a giggle fit and whispered into her person's ear. "She thinks you actually are a guy and are crushing on you!"

This caused the female to suddenly pale. Kashino spoke up scratching his head. "Hanabusa is another one of the sweet princes. We each specialize in something. My specialty is chocolates, Hanabusa's is candy sculpture and anything to do with flowers. Andou's is Japanese sweets. People are going to be saying your the forth one of us, but as you said... you don't have a specialty."

"You forgot to add the fact that Hanabusa-san is a narcissist and a womanizer."

"He isn't that bad..." Kashino let out a deep sigh.

"You're acting like the two of you don't always get along."

"Well, all three of us did compete for Ichigo's affections at one point. And I didn't like him when we first met. He's not a bad guy though and he has his reasons for being as narcissistic as he is." The blond continued to walk along. "We had better get started on this tour so we can be to class on time. As we go along we'll review the assignment for today."

"Assignment?" Naoto shook her head.

"We get specific assignments in class dealing with patissiere and we are expected to make something based along those lines. You are lucky that today's assignment is a group one as the first assignment tends to be something to help us get used to the new group we happen to be in."


	6. Sakiire Kurasu

**Shibotsu Shokora  
><strong>_**~Sakiire Kurasu~**_

Kashino gave Naoto a tour of the grounds before taking her to the classroom. They were soon joined by two other males. Kashino pointed to the green haired male and then the blue haired one. "This is Hanabusa Satsuki and Andou Sennosuke."

"It is nice to meet you." Naoto bowed her head slightly.

Hanabusa and the other male made polite bows to. "The pleasure is ours."

Other students came into the room and Naoto found herself glancing over to the side as more students came in and began to gawk at the head table. She let out a sigh before turning back to the other group members, which was when she noticed that there were two more fairies flying around. Chocolate noticed her looking. "This is Caramel, who works with Andou, and Cafe, who works for Hanabusa."

"If you ever need strong coffee, I am likely to make one that will keep you awake." The only male bragged.

As they were speaking, a male student suddenly stormed over to A group, his face twisted up in frostration. He brushed back his blond hair. "I don't get why I wasn't placed in your group. He hasn't exactly proven himself to the rest of the class, has he?"

At this, a very pale colored Sweet Fairy flew up. "Plus, unlike Johnny, he doesn't have a Sweets Spirit. I mean, I only see the normal four and no new one."

"Actually, I've joined up with her." Vanilla stated.

"You mean you joined up with him." Cafe shook his head.

"Sorry! I am so used to working with Ichigo." A sad look suddenly appeared on the blond fairies face.

"Cheer up. I am sure she wouldn't want to see you down like this." Naoto spoke up, smiling at the fairy.

The conversation was ended when a group of students hurried up, much to Johnny's dismay. The girls began to ask Naoto some rather personal conversations but she refused to say anything except place her hand behind her head. A girl with blond hair suddenly came up. "So you are Amano sempai's replacement?"

This caused Naoto to blink a couple of times. "From what I've heard, the two of you would be in the same year, so I am not quite following why you are calling her sempai."

"That would be because Lemon-chan skipped a grade." Hanabusa smiled. "She is in B group this year along with Johnny and Rumi-chan."

"Speaking of which," a girl with honey colored hair suddenly grabbed Johnny's ear. "We should be preparing our station.

"Right!" Lemon stated. "I simply came over to great the new sempai as that is simply polite. You on the other hand demanded to be in the A group."

"It hasn't been the first time though someone has assigned someone who doesn't belong in the lead group into the lead group." One girl spoke up in irritation. "Remember what happened when Ichigo came."

This comment though caused a bunch of people to suddenly glare at her with irritation and frustration. Naoto began to help the others pull out the supplies. "It seems Asano-san was quite popular?"

"She had a personality that made friends with people easily." Andou smiled. "Unless of course you were jealous for some reason. We're making doing your specialty today, Caramel."

"Yay!" The small fairy suddenly cheered.

"There are a lot of options with the category caramel..." Naoto placed a hand on her chin.

"How about a chocolate cake with a caramel frosting, a caramel drizzle and caramel roses?" Kashino stated. "It fits into two of our specialties, plus one of our fairies. I also think making a caramel based frosting wouldn't be bad for Shirogane's first time working on a group project. It will be a challenge and Andou can put it together at the end."

"Works for me." The others nodded and Naoto let out a deep sigh as she went to work.

She started out by melting butter in a saucepan and carefully watched those around her. Johnny was busy glaring at her when he wasn't arguing with his group about what to make. Eventually though, she had a creamy frosting prepared and Andou took the time to taste the frosting. "That is actually pretty good. Have you made caramel frosting before."

"No... I simply read various recipes for it. There are so many."

"You... " Hanabusa paused. "How much experience do you have with this?"

"We'll likely be giving him instructions on something later on, but he was able to pass the test with flying colors." Kashino let out a deep sigh.

"How about we have a few practice sessions later to see where his strengths and weaknesses are." Cafe suggested while the others nodded.

Naoto found herself looking at the finished work, never expecting to be able to make something like that. The teacher came over and cut herself a piece and then nodded her head. "A passing grade for A group."

It was then that the female detective noticed the commotion going on over at B group. The teacher walked over. "McBeal... you need to learn to work in a group. A lot of your grades depend on this."

"I want to know why I wasn't placed in A group." The boy muttered.

"The fact you can't work in a group should make that obvious." Rumi smiled at the boy.

Lemon nodded her head. "Please don't bring our grades down. That said, everyone knows if all the Sweet Princes were here at the school last year, you, Rumi and myself would have been in this group then. So stop throwing a tantrum about it."

The male let out a deep breath and stormed over to where the others were. He then pointed his finger at Naoto. "I challenge you to a friendly little competition between yourself and myself. We'll have a judge outside out group decide on the competition and we'll see who really is better."

Johnny then stormed off, while Naoto gave an awkward smile. "What was that about? I didn't do anything to him."

"What did I tell you about this school being competitive." Kashino folded his arms across his chest. "He'll likely demand you switch groups with him, so you had better not lose. If there is one guy I _really_ don't like it is him. He's got a nasty attitude."

"That's because he has always been jealous of you and Ichigo-chan," Hanabusa let out a deep sigh.


	7. Shuuryoubi

**Shibotsu Shokora  
><strong>_**~Shuuryoubi~**_

As the second year high school students left the classroom, Naoto found herself going over her mental notes. One thing that was very clear was that Amano Ichigo had been a very popular person. This meant a lot of people were going to likely say they couldn't understand why anyone would want to kill such a sweet girl. However, that meant the motive had to be some sort of jealousy.

First on the list of suspects was anyone who was still holding a grudge from when Amano Ichigo first came to the school. It was understandable that there would be some hurt pride over the group positions but it also had to do with the fact the top group was formed of three guys who were likely the most popular in the class level. Ichigo being a part of that group was more likely to have someone hold a grudge against rather then her being assigned to a group she didn't at first belong to.

The second on the list was Kashino. Despite the fact Kashino had in fact won over Ichigo's affections, there was the clear fact that he had been in competition with other males and it seemed as if some were still trying to compete for Asano Ichigo's affections even after she had chosen Kashino over the other boys. There was the small chance that he happened to have been jealous, but he did have an alibi, albeit one that couldn't stand up in a normal court of law.

The third on the list were the other two sweet princes. Kashino though had been adamant about their character despite the fact Chocolat had not been so endearing. For some reason Kashino was of the opinion that Hanabasa couldn't do it which meant that there was something about his personality that made Kashino think that he could do it.

There was also the fact that Johnny was obviously not happy about the fact he wasn't in the lead group, but that honestly didn't have to do with Ichigo's death as none of the Sweet Princes had been in the group the year before. Actually, it was more likely that if Johnny had killed Asano Ichigo that the motive had been because of some sort of jealousy factor.

And there was also the people who were jealous of Amano Ichigo's popularity. Naoto hadn't been going to this school very long but she already could tell that a lot of people thought highly of her and held her in high regard. That also stood to reason that certain people would in fact be a tad jealous over some of the smallest things. It still felt like a piece of the puzzle was missing.

At least the first day of class had gone well despite the fact she had in fact been challenged by a person who was gungho about getting that spot in the first group. The competition thing was honestly out of her league and she honestly hoped that she would be able to solve the mystery of Asano Ichigo's death without to much problems.

After French lessons, Naoto found herself being shown to the cafeteria by the sweet princes, which she was considered now a part of, much to her dismay. She glanced around at the cafeteria like area, before letting out a deep sigh. There were a ton of sweet to buy, which appealed to her feminine side of things, but she honestly didn't want to be tempted to show any bit of her femininity. On one side, she was pretending to be a male again, and on the other her female personality was horribly shy and awkward and that was the last thing she needed for a case.

Hanabusa took a sip of his coffee before setting it down. "All of the sweets are prepared by the high school students who are considered advanced for their grade level. I you get one of your deserts placed on there, it is a good thing."

"Remember how we used to come simply to sample and learn from our sempai?" Kashino let out a deep sigh.

"That's kind of changed now that we tend to get our sweets put onto the table. Plus, she's not here. She had a way of telling the different treats from the others and the look on her face when she enjoyed the treats was always something else." The blue haired male let out a deep sigh.

"Did you know our cake from this morning is being sold?" Kashino leaned on one hand.

"It was that good..." Naoto blinked a couple of times. "I think that has something to do with the fact that I worked with you three more then anything. I'd honestly be lost."

The other three didn't say anything, but then Lemon and Rumi came and sat at the two extra chairs. "Your guys cake is really good."

There was a silence while the three males refused to smile. Naoto simply gave the two girls a rather confused look, not saying much about the situation. Lemon got a quirky look on her face. "Looks like you aren't understanding why they aren't taking our compliments as compliments. All three of them miss out on sempai not being around anymore. That was what held them together. I'm not saying you don't add anything to the group, but you've honestly got some big shoes to fill."

"So, tell us a bit about yourself Shirogane-san." The female's cheeks suddenly flushed up slightly, though Naoto didn't even notice. The three boys at the table happened to notice and their interest was perked.

"He likes detective novels." Kashino spoke up when Naoto simply glanced at the ground without saying anything. "You need to read more stuff related to being a patisserie."

Lemon blinked a couple of times. "You actually don't know much about being a patisserie?" The female shook her head "I'll be sure _not _to tell Johnny this." She then turned her head towards Kashino. "Has _she _tried making your her fiance again?"

"I haven't seen her this school year yet. Because I took the semester off, I was actually able to thankfully avoid her. But I am expecting her to be getting into my face about it." The blond male folded his arms across his chest. "She'll have no tact either."

Naoto's attention perked up, only to have Rumi touch her hand suddenly. "So, what caused you to come to this school?"

Naoto found herself paling suddenly and pulling her hand away. "Well... my mother used to go to this school. That is about it, so to speak."

Rumi frowned at this, before placing her hands in her cheeks. She glanced over at the female detective and suddenly blushed. Letting out a deep sigh, she finally put her hands down. "I broke up with my boyfriend over the summer."

"Why?" Hanabusa blinked a couple of times.

"He asked me why I was so upset about Ichigo's death when I hadn't been as close to her as I had some of my other friends from Elementary school." Rumi stirred her drink. "Guys tend not to notice things that are really important."

Naoto opened her mouth to say something, but then clamped it shut. "_I can't tell them about those guys because it will sound weird coming from someone who is supposed to be a guy. Seriously though, did hanging out with those girls make me a bit more open to accepting myself as a female?_" She blinked a couple of times as the other guys and Lemon suddenly laughed, while Rumi fumed. "_Obviously... I missed something._"


	8. Shoudatsu

_Author's note – I haven't updated since 3-12-12. My cousin says I should update more often but I don't know if I can do it... it kind of comes in spurts._

**Shbotsu Shokora  
><span>****Chapter Eight:  
><strong>**_Soudatsu_**

That afternoon after the regular classes, Naoto found herself heading back to the classroom for a bit of competition. Johnny of course glared at her when she came into the kitchen classroom. Rumi shook her head at the older male. "Your look would chase away customers and make the food taste bad no matter how good it is."

The blond let out a deep sigh. "I don't understand why you're so adamant about sniping me."

"You're the one who messed up in class today and risked our grades being brought down." Lemon sighed. "And really, if the teachers decided to place him in group A they had to have a reason for doing so."

"What is the contest going to be about?" Kashino folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't know... the teachers have been discussing it behind closed doors along with who is going to judge the competition." Johnny frowned.

There was a period of silence as the kids waited for the teacher to get there. The teacher from their cooking class arrived and folded her arms across her chest. "Since I'll be the teacher I'll be the final judge of who ends up in what group. Let's say you were asked to serve at a child's party where the parent wanted a healthy treat. Your task is to create this treat within an hour."

Naoto watched as Johnny's mouth suddenly twitched. She whispered to the other members of the group. "He doesn't seem happy about this."

"That's because he specializes in fried treats which aren't at all healthy." Hanabusa sighed. "The teacher is possibly making it clear that she's not happy that this contest is going on."

"You may start now, but you can _not_ get any help from your group members."

Naoto shook her head and simply pulled out the ingredients for a short bread cookie, one of the things she knew how to make that her sempai had told her was good when he wanted a healthy treat to serve his young cousin. Carmel watched carefully, her face with a rather concerned. "Is that all you're making? I would think you would make something more decorative and something that will catch the kids interest."

"Don't worry. I've played with his cousin and had meals with her." The small, flat chest female suddenly smirked. She put the cookies into the oven before she went and started preparing a cream cheese topping that she set in the fridge to cool. She then set out chopping up the fruit and glanced over to see that Johnny was doing something similar. She placed the fruit on treys however, to let them chill and drain off some of the juices.

The person she was competing against carefully arranged the fruit into a colorful peacock fan. Naoto took the frosting out and frosted the cookies and began placing the fruit into small bowls on a tray, before placing the cookies around the bowl. Glancing over at her group members she could see them suddenly twitching.

Remi however placed her hands to her mouth. "While the teacher says that your group members can't help you, I can speak up and tell you that you've only got a few minutes left to get the decorating done."

Naoto simply left the cookies as they were and let the time run out. The teacher first went around and took notes on each arrangement before. She then went and tasted Johnny's first and nodded her head. She then walked over to Nanao and tasted the cookie and a few pieces of fruit. "Can I get you to clarify why you choose the arrangement you did."

"I was thinking the kids would rather decorate their own cookies, not to mention some kids don't like certain kinds of fruit." The female detective piped up.

"I see." The teacher then walked to the front of the room. "I am going to have to declare Shirogane-san the winner of this contest."

"What, why? I decorated mine, he didn't." Johnny suddenly complained. "The goal was to make a healthy treat."

"The goal was to make a healthy treat for a child's party. Shirogane'-san actually put thought into this." The teacher then added something. "Whether you won or not I would have made it clear that nobodies switching groups. I'll think about doing some projects where we mix things up, but honestly... the thing is you don't work well in a group and if you aren't careful you may find yourself in a lower group."

Johnny let out an irritated sound before leaving, knowing full well that the conversation was closed. Kashino though blinked a couple of times. "How did you think of that?"

"My sempai has a younger cousin. We would sometimes do stuff as a group and his younger cousin would join in." Shirogane paused. "However... not everything turned out all right. Some of the food was honestly not edible."

"That's actual cooking, not pastry stuff though." Lemon frowned suddenly.

"We do it in my family too though." Andou let out a laugh. "And believe me, you kind of want to keep younger siblings occupied."

"Johnny's not going to let this be though." Remi sighed. "He can't get the position but he's likely going to turn everything into a competition with you."

"I'm not really interested in competing. I mean... I know that competing is a big deal, but I honestly have to wonder if that is the most important thing. I'd think the most important thing would be the actual making of the treats for someone and seeing smiles on their faces."

Hanabusa then spoke up. "Do you miss your friends?"

"Kind of, but this is my way of finding out more about my mother, so it is important that I come here, even if it is just for a year. Plus, my friends and I went through a lot the last year, so we'll keep in touch even when we graduate from high school.


	9. Suku Jareru Rumi

**Shibotsu Shokora  
><span>****Chapter Nine:  
><strong>_**Suku Jareru Rumi**_

After beating Johnny Naoto choose to head off by herself away from the other students. Vanilla followed her and the small fairy flew next to her ear. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about how I never heard much about my mother from my grandfather. I really don't know either one of my parents as they died when I was really young. The thing is, I happen to know that I haven't figured out anything about her let alone the murder that occurred." The female raised her arms above her head.

"Are you sure you haven't found anything out?" the small fairy sighed.

"Well, I've pretty much figured out everyone's personalities and some of the possible motives." Naoto then went on to list things about each person.

"First, there is Kashino Makoto. He is the former boyfriend of Amano Ichigo. I say former instead of ex as he happens to still have feelings for her despite the fact she is dead and has been dead for some time now. Of course, he could be faking it and pretending that he hadn't been cheating on her like the rumors state."

"Second, there is Kato Rumi who claims to be the victims best friend and yet she is the person that is rumored to be cheating with the victims boyfriend. She also broke up with her boyfriend over the summer so it is rather clear that something else may be going on. So, I don't know if I can trust what she says."

"Third, there are the other rivals for the victims hand, Johnny McBeal, Hanabusa Satsuki and Andou Sennosuke. The most likely suspect out of the three for holding a grudge seems to be McBeal as he has a set mind about what he wants and seems to be used to getting what he wants. I'll need to keep an eye on him."

Vanilla then added her input. "There is also Koshiro Miya who was jealous of the fact Ichigo ended up with Kashino-kun, Tennouji Mari whose had a major rivalry with Ichigo for Lucus Henri's attention as his best student, not to mention there is Lemon fighting both of them for similar privileges and Henri Sensei himself."

"Out of those two Tennouji has the biggest motive and I'm not sure what kind of motive Lucus Henri would have." Naoto glanced up to see that she was under a shaded tree and she moved to sit on the bench and began to think about things, but nothing was going well. She needed a way to get an in with the other characters and she found herself wondering how she would go about solving the case. She took her cap out of her pocket and placed it onto her head so she could think about the things going on.

It was then that someone caused more shadow to fall on her and she flipped the hat up to find herself looking right into Rumi's face. "Good afternoon Kato-san."

"You don't need to be so formal." The girl sat down on the bench next to Naoto and looked out at the pond.

"I really don't know anyone as of yet, so I would rather play cautious." Naoto stated, folding her legs in a masculine manner. The bad habit she had helped solidify the idea that she was a male and not a female in people's eyes.

"Yeah... but I was wondering..." Rumi paused for a few minutes.

"You were wondering what?" Naoto tilted her hat down.

Vanilla popped up next to her ear. "It should be time for dinner soon."

"I was wondering if we could get close." The female let out a deep breath. "What I mean is I was wondering if you would go out with me?"

"What?" Naoto's voice strained while Vanilla suddenly burst out laughing.

"She doesn't know you're a girl. I am so glad she can't hear me because this is funny," the small fairy laughed.

"Well, you're rather cute. I know your listed as one of the Sweet Princes so you're probably out of my league, so..." the girl stated.

"You really are a nice person from what I can so far tell but as I've said I really don't know anybody, so I don't feel comfortable saying yes." Naoto stated.

"You don't feel comfortable saying yes because you're actually a girl." Vanilla laughed.

The small female detective then continued. "I'd rather start off as friends if you don't mind. Actually, I would like to think more along the lines of fitting in and making friends more then anything." There was a thought thought that crossed her mind. "_That, and as Vanilla says I am a girl and I need to focus on the case._"

Vanilla fluttered down to Naoto's shoulder laughing her head off. Rumi had a rather disappointed look on her face before standing up. "Just to let you know, I'm not mad at you. A little disappointed but not mad at the turn out. You were rather polite about your answer and you're right, we barely do know each other."

Rumi then left leaving the two there. Naoto let out a deep sigh and Vanilla burst out giggling. "It really isn't funny."

"But you're really a girl!" Vanilla laughed. "I wonder what everyone would say if they knew you really were a girl."

"I wonder what everyone would say if they found out my real reason being here isn't because I'm trying to be a patisserie and finding out about my mother. Well, yes... am here to find out more about my mother, but I'm here to solve the murder mystery that is hanging over the school she went to when she was younger. That's my father's side of the family and it is my duty as a detective."

"You're funny, you know that." The small female fairy laughed. "We should be heading to dinner now."

They stood up and headed over to the table and found the other members of her group. The blue haired male raised an eyebrow. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Rumi asked Naoto-kun out." Vanilla burst out.

Naoto found herself paling. Satsuki blinked a couple of times. "You said no?"

"He doesn't know Rumi," the last one let out a deep sigh. "It isn't as if he is obligated like you are to make all women happy. Though I have to say that is stupid when your going to make one girl unhappy when you make another girl happy by going out and doing things like a date with them."


	10. Sotsuzen Iinazuke

**Shibotsu Shokora  
><span>****Chapter Ten:  
><strong>_**Sotsuzen Iinazuke**_

Naoto found herself zoning out during dinner as she poked her fork at the food. Every so often she would take a bite, but she found herself not remembering the taste. Eventually though, a female with hair the color of Rise's, but with a curl that seemed fake. Naoto blinked a couple of times as the girl glomped Mashiro, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The boy's eyes narrowed in annoyance, but the girl continued to latch onto the young man. Naoto watched carefully before speaking up. "Who might you be?"

"I'm Koshiro Miya. I'm Kashino Makoto's fiance." The girl stated with a smile on her face.

"Are you?" Naoto's words came out without her realizing she was saying what she was saying. "Has Kashino-san actually gotten over Amano-san? I was under the impression that he had not, so that would mean you're entering his personal space."

"Look... I don't know who you are, but what right to you have to speak to me this way? My parents have a lot of money and if I wanted I could get you kicked out of the school."

"_Considering the fact I am here to investigate a murder, I doubt I would be kicked out. I also don't think her parents have the kind of influence over the heir to the school like she believes. Which means she has no sense of reality. She's going to be difficult to deal with. And honestly, Actually, she could be a hindrance due to the fact she feels entitled to a lot of things."_

Kashino's eye twitched again. "No... you're the one who is being rude. Honestly, not speak to him like that, because he is honestly right. I haven't had the chance to get over Ichigo because her murder hasn't been solved. I want the person to be caught."

It was then that Miya flinched. "But... it's been awhile and no one has caught the killer. The police have given it up and even ruled it a suicide."

"No they haven't." Naoto spoke up. "I mean, the idea that she committed suicide is just a rumor, right?"

"Correct... it is just a rumor." Sennosuke snapped the words out as his eyes narrowed. "Seriously... your one of the people who likes to aggravate the rumor because you want to get with Kashino. Don't you have anything better to do?"

"He was _supposed_ to be _my_ fiance. End of story."

"No, it _isn't_ the end of the story. I wasn't _supposed_ to ever be your fiance. There was _nothing_ arranged between our two families and I have _told_ you many times over that I dislike you with a great passion. What kind of marriage is that?"

"You would come to love me darling." The girl cooed into his ear.

"Just go away. You're annoying me."

"Oh fine! Be that way! You'll come around though, you'll see!" The girl suddenly glared at Naoto, the look on her face indicating she was mad at something."

Naoto took a deep sigh. "Did _anyone_ think to tell the police that she could be a suspect?"She blinked a couple of times as she looked at the surprised looks on their faces. "I take that as a no."

Hanabasa's mouth twitched. "Yes, well... I don't usually like to speak ill of a female, but she seems to lack in the intelligent department.

The corner of Rumi's mouth twisted up in frustration. "I don't know... she did cheat at the Grand Pre and she almost got away with it."

"She did in fact get away with it. If they hadn't announced that the top three would get to go instead of the top then we wouldn't have gotten to go to Paris."

"Maybe the reason that occurred was because they suspected some sort of cheating to have occurred?" Naoto spoke up. "I mean, has such a thing occurred since?"

The others looked at each other. "No... it hasn't. I think it has something to do with trying to get both of his special students there. He can be a prick sometime."

"Well, I'll take my leave." Nanato stated as she headed back to the dorms. As she walked, she asked Vanilla some questions. "So, is this prick they referring to Johnny?"

"No... he's actually Miya's cousin." Vanilla spoke up. "They're referring to Henry-sama."

"The person who hired me to investigate this? I hadn't thought of including him that high up in the suspect list."

A voice spoke behind her. "I am glad though I am included in the suspect list."

Nanato spun around, placing hands behind her back. "Well, the only person who can't be a suspect is myself."

"What about the fairies next to you?"

"So... you can see them as well." Nanato frowned. "I think that would go against their nature, but if one did in fact kill her, wouldn't that mean they are flawed in some manner that isn't visible compared to the others. How long would they be able to keep such a secret?"

"Honestly... I can not be sure how long they would be able to keep this from the other faeries, so it is honestly a slim chance. I only mention it because I don't want you to rule anything out."

"As if one of us could be evil enough to murder." Vanilla grumbled.

"I was speaking to the others during dinner, and I was wanting to know if the police were told that Koshiro Miya was interested in the victims boyfriend to the point she was claiming that she was... no is his fiance?"

Henry frowned. "This is actually the first I've heard of it. Since the police in fact did not bring up the issue I am going to assume that the reason that they did not do so is because nobody has told them that she was doing that."

"She says that she has a hold over the school that could get me kicked out."

The man let out a laugh. "Now that is a rumor I have heard about. She thinks that her parents are good enough to sway the school and the school board when the school is able to function without the contributions her father makes every year. The only reason she is still a student is because we are doing a favor for her father as she happened to be his hair and is in need of practical training when it comes to inheriting the family business. A lot of it has unfortunately gone over her head."

"So... you have respect for her father, but not her?"

"And he knows it. He may spoil his daughter, but there are in fact certain things even that man will not say yes to." Henry then frowned. "I am assuming that you are going by the theory that she may have killed Amano-san? Believe me, he would not cover up such a thing, nor would he want to. It is just not his way. No, if she is the murder the reason the police haven't looked into the matter is because it was never brought to their attentions."


	11. Shiso

**Shibotsu Shokora**** Chapter Eleven: ****_Shiso_**

Naoto found herself thinking about what Henry said. One one side she found herself quite happy that Henry believed that Miya's father wouldn't cover up for her if she was the murderer. This still did not help her case as she still had no clues as to who could have murdered Ichigo. She found herself wishing that there was some kind of clue outside of motive that she could dig into. She found herself heading up to the room she shared with the victims boyfriend who also happened to be a suspect in the whole matter.

She went to her desk and began to work on the homework, opening up the desk to find a package of chocolate. Frowning she shut it remembering how it was that Ichigo had died. She began to work on her homework then took the chocolate and went to see Henry so that she could get permission to leave campus to have the chocolate tested. He arranged for her to have a "family emergency" so to speak to cover the whole matter and she found herself heading out the next day.

She arrived at the lab and put the item in for examination before heading back. When she got back she was questioned about how her family was doing and she said that her grandfather had recovered thankfully and thus she had been able to come back. She then went to work making the next group project with the three boy's. As usual they got the best grade, much to the disgust of Johnny and the girls who were overly infatuated with the Sweets Princes.

She then headed to the library and began to do research into the school as well as the next assignment Vanilla followed her. "So, who do you think left the chocolate there?"

Naoto wrote on a piece of paper. "_Only males can get into the dorm._"

"So this means that the person who did it was not a female?"

"_Not necessarily. It is possible that a female found a way to sneak the chocolate into the dorm, particularly if they wanted to frame a person._"

"Why are you writing stuff down and crossing it out?"

"_Because there is no telling who is listening. While most people can't hear your side of the conversation they can hear mine._"

"I got it." The small female faerie looked down at the paper frowning. "What if the person is a faerie or they can see faeries."

"_I honestly need more information about this faerie thing. It's not normal for someone to see a faerie unless they happen to have a faerie choose them._"

"I've been wondering about that? How can you see me? I know I didn't choose you."

Naoto paused and then scribbled down something on a piece of paper. "_During the summer there was an incident involving something we call Persona._"

"What is a Persona?"

"_A persona is like your doppleganger so to speak and represents the darkest things in your life. There was a particular area that was being negativly effected and bad things were happening so I was sent to investigate. Some really weird things when on._"

"Like what?"

"_Like being able to go to another world through televisions._"

"We travel to our world through the ovens. It honestly doesn't sound that strange to me."

"_Well... this other world happened to twist our darkest issue and if you can't overcome your darkest issue you find yourself dead. You basically have to face yourself."_

"So... that means your a strong person?"

"_No. The truly strong person is sempai. Sempai was why all of us ended up getting past our situations and ended up gaining our Persona to help others out. The whole thing was bizarre and there was even a person... we call him Teddy, who came from that world to ours. He wished to have a human form and so was able to develop one despite previously only being a shell._"

"I'm not used to that kind of magic."

"_You've never heard of other things existing? Mind you... before I dealt with the Persona I didn't think that other things would actually exist, but I'm actually open to the idea that other things exist._"

"Santa Claus maybe? Well... Santa is one of those things that I find myself wondering about. There are also stories, but I always thought they were things to scare us at night so that we don't... how to put it... it's so we go to bed like really good faeries. Everythings good around here._"_

"_Consider yourself lucky then that only this murder occurred_._"_

"Persona aren't involved here?"

"_No. Not likely. Even if they were there is the fact the criminal is still going to be a human, someone who throws the person into the place. Plus, you didn't notice Ichigo disappear did you?"_

"No. She ate the chocolate in front of me." The small female frowned. "Hey... could that be how a male could get in? I mean, we travel all over the place and use magic and you mention you did it without one of us."

"_It depends on how the rules. When we dealt with the Persona world there were rules. What are the rules for your world?_"

"Well... I had to shrink Ichigo down to get her to come into our world with us and make her bigger again. Would you like to see?"

"_No thank you. Let's just say the idea of being modified for any reason actually doesn't suit my idea of fun. I made up my mind to simply be myself._"

"This is coming from someone pretending to be a boy you know."

"_I am being myself. I prefer dressing in male clothing and if they assume that I am male because of that... well, it is on them._"

"You sure?"

"_Yes. And don't even try to get me to wear female clothing. I'm highly uncomfortable with that, let alone showing off as much skin. So it may not be so much that I dislike female clothing but dislike how much is exposed. I haven't tried wearing old fashioned kind of clothing._"


End file.
